Heroes Aren't the Mafia Right?
by SongOfBlaze
Summary: Alba had always dreamed of being a hero. Ross never wanted to be a part of the mafia. When these two cross paths, Alba will be dragged into something he never believed he could be a part of. In the end though, was it worth it?
1. Chapter 1

_**To be perfectly honest, this is the first time we (yes, we) wrote something for Senyuu so our characterization isn't 100%. We've planned out most of this though, and this is in fact an RP. A chapter should be released every week for this unless something comes up and prevents me from doing so.**_

_**When more characters appear, I'll be sure to list who wrote for who.**_

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**Heroes Aren't the Mafia. Right...?**

**Chapter 1**

To be perfectly honest, Alba never was one to have an interesting life. A normal, boring life that just revolved around going to school, running errands, and just about anything else that happened in a regular college life. At the very least, it wasn't a high maintenance one.

Although, Alba couldn't help but wish for something more exciting at times. He wasn't anyone special. He was just another face in college, only to be forgotten once he left. It was depressing to think about, but it was the truth.

Besides, stories and games of heroes weren't any help. He wanted to be like a hero. Alba wanted to help people and go out on adventures, fighting monsters and villains. Reality always brought him back to the truth, but every now and then, he found himself daydreaming of such things.

But those were only thoughts at the back of Alba's mind at the moment. Running errands didn't offer much imagination, especially when it was part of a daily routine.

In a shadowed alleyway, Ross closed his eyes and sighed. Running from those people had really pained his side, which had been wounded by a bullet a few days ago. He scanned the buildings around him, checking if anyone was nearby.

Ross wished he had never gotten himself into this situation. He would rather prefer a normal boring life where he wouldn't have to keep his knife with him at all times. Where his life wasn't in danger the moment he left the mafia.

_"But I'm not normal,"_ Ross thought. "And there will be nothing that changes that." Lightly gripping his knife, he wished there was someone to play with.

It was only a noise, a slight noise, but Alba had heard it. He glanced into the alleyway where the source of the sound had come from. A feeling of uneasiness began to rise up inside of him. Usually in video games, something bad tended to happen in dark alleys. Sometimes, it was someone dead or mugging just begging to happen.

However, despite all reasoning in his conscience, curiosity had won him over. Alba slowly walked into the darkness, trying to stay aware of the possibilities at hand.

That was when he saw the other.

Alba's first instinct was to run, hoping the other wouldn't give chase, but he didn't move an inch. He had noticed the stranger was hurt, dried blood covering the side of his shirt and a hole where the blood was. "Are… you okay?"

Ross heard the footsteps as the boy approached and felt a moment of panic. He had to get out of the area, fast, before he got a complete stranger involved. But the moment he struggled to stand straight, Ross knew it was futile. He was injured with barely any food and no sleep in his system. Yet when the boy asked if he was alright, Ross still had to be sarcastic.

"Yeah, I'm doing so fine today, how about you?" he retorted. Ross thought how easy it could be to punch him in the face.

Alba didn't give much of a response to the stranger. As much as he wanted to tell the stranger to not joke around, he said nothing, lifting the stranger up as carefully as possible. It was dangerous being so close to someone he wasn't familiar with, but he couldn't just leave the guy there to bleed out. It would be wrong.

"You can save the sarcasm for later. Come on, let's get you to the hospital," Alba said, using one of his arms to support the other.

Ross froze when the guy mentioned a hospital. There was no way he would go. It was dangerous; he'd be caught so easily in a public area, like a fish in a net. Not to mention Ebola was a problem as well. "A hospital?" he wheezed. For some reason he had trouble breathing while leaning on this annoying boy. "Do you even know who I am?" Ross muttered. "You should just leave..." He really wanted to hit this guy. It would be Ross's thank you gift to him.

"Even once would suffice." Ross clenched his fist.

"No, I don't know who you are, but you're hurt. I want to help you," Alba said confidently. He wasn't sure what was driving this confidence, but there was no doubt that he wanted to help the other, even though it went against every little thing his conscience was telling him. "At the very least, let me get you somewhere you can re-"

"So this is where you ran off to, brat." Alba turned to the voice behind him, seeing a burly man standing before him. A gun was pointed right in their direction while a dark grin appeared on the man's face. "Looks like you brought a friend. Strange, you usually try to keep people out of your little, dirty jobs. Too bad that this will be the end of the line for you two."

_"Wait… are we… about to be killed…?"_ The thought itself drained the color from Alba's face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, look. We lied. Here's another chapter. We'll be updating about twice a week. Mondays and Fridays. I hope you guys enjoy.**

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**Heroes Aren't the Mafia. Right...?**

**Chapter 2**

Ross smiled a bit at the panicked boy. He liked that distress on his face. "Heh… Well, perhaps." He had no intent to die so early in the story and gripped his knife. There was finally a use for it. He walked in front of the boy, determined to protect him no matter what. It was his fault the boy was in this situation, anyway. Ross dismissed the gun angled at his head.

_"It's nothing but an obstacle to dodge. Nothing to worry about," _he thought, flipping his knife over. Ross had to hit this thug somewhere that would make him unable to shoot properly. What sucked was that he had only one shot.

Alba wasn't sure what was happening, but when the black-haired stranger stood in front of him, he tried to pull the other back and convince him to run. But as soon as the thought came to him, everything was already over in an instance with the sound of a shot echoing through the alley.

The gun-wielding attacker was dead on the ground, blood pooling from the stab to his heart. The stranger was panting and holding his side tightly, looking like he was on the verge of collapse. Then there was Alba, who was staring at the scene in utter shock and confusion. The bullet had missed the other but had grazed Alba's cheek, only appearing as a cut.

But just _what_ had he witnessed?

"Well, that didn't go too bad," Ross mumbled. His legs gave way, and he stumbled, dropping to his knees and gasping. Every movement he made sent pain through his side. He could heard alarmed shouts a few buildings away; people must have heard the gun go off. What was he going to do with the body anyway?

Blood poured from the chest wound as Ross pulled the knife out. He felt a sense of pity but brushed it off completely. If it came down to mafia hitmen or an innocent bystander, he knew who he would prefer to survive. Ross glanced back at the stunned boy, who was still staring wide eyed at him.

"Hey kid, I don't know your name, but please... don't get involved with this." Ross's head was reeling; but he still glared at the kid. "Just leave..."

"L-Look, I'm sure if we explain to the police, they'll understand that this was all out of self defense!" Alba explained as the shock slowly left him. It was still uncertain to him about what had happened concerning the attacker and the stranger, but he couldn't just leave the guy there. The other had _saved_ his life.

At the very least, he needed to get the stranger treated. "But if you don't want to go to the police, then… let's go back to my apartment. At least then, you can rest."

Ross sighed, allowing the other to half carry half drag him away. He hated having to rely on some puny kid, but he felt grateful anyway. "Yeah… thanks," he muttered. He stubbornly ignored the pain in his side and stood up weakly. "I can still walk. You don't have to look so concerned."

It took only a few minutes to reach the stranger's house; a bit too close to the incident that had just happened, though. By that time, his side was on fire, and he was reaching the end of his willpower to move on. "Hey… So whats the plan now?" Ross asked the boy.

"Well… unless you're fine explaining things to the police, I don't really think there's not much left to do." He hadn't plan things that far ahead. The hope was that it would be easy to let the stranger rest and heal up before going their separate ways, but obviously, that idea was no good now. Alba wasn't even sure what was even okay to do.

As the two entered his apartment, Alba helped the other over to the couch and hurried to grab a first aid kit. "…My name's Alba…" he mumbled as he pulled out some bandages and disinfectant. "What's yours?"

"Alright, Alba." Ross nodded, taking his jacket and shirt off as to apply the disinfectant and bandages. "I'm... called Ross." He took the bottle of disinfectant and began to clean his wounds up, wincing from the liquid. Once in a safer place, he was able to fully inspect his side wound, noticing it hurt to lift his right arm.

"Ah. It seems the bullet passed through... It'll still take a while to heal, though," he muttered, glancing around the apartment. Ross decided he'd leave after he got better. The sooner he left, the safer Alba would be. Ross has no reason to drag someone innocent into the mess he was in.

"Hey. Um... Can you help me with these bandages?"

"Of course…" Alba got a little closer to Ross, wrapping the bandage around the wound. He knew it would be better to get the other some actual, professional help, but as seen from earlier, it was likely the result would only be a fit from the other.

"…Any reason as to _why_ that guy wanted you dead…?" he asked a little nervously. It wasn't everyday that someone hunted another down. At least, not in Alba's experience that was ever the case. "Did you owe him money or something…?"

Ross laughed at Alba's question. "Haha well..." He moved his left shoulder up and down. "I don't know if you'd want to hear, but I was in the mafia. But I left." He shrugged uncomfortably. "That's it."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Sorry for the day late update. I had completely forgotten about this. But I hope you all enjoy.**_

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**Heroes Aren't the Mafia. Right...?**

**Chapter 3**

He wouldn't be really surprised if Alba kicked him out of the house now. The boy knew the truth now, or at least part of it.

Even if he got kicked out though, Ross still wanted to punch him.

Alba, to say the least, was shocked once again. He knew there had to be a reason Ross didn't want to go to the police or the hospital but certainly wasn't expecting that. Sure, he should have been more concerned for his life. He was talking to a criminal that could have him killed in an instant. But for some reason, he didn't feel all that worried.

He was curious about something though. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you lea-"

_Knock knock._

"Uhhh… Hold on…" Alba slowly walked toward the door and opened it. "Crea, what are you doing here?" he asked as the other walked in. Crea had been his neighbor since he moved into the apartment building, but they rarely talked. Although, he was more than aware of how strange his neighbor was.

"Sorry for intruding, Alba. I just need to talk to your guest." Crea grinned at Alba before looking over at Ross. "You have a lot to explain, Shii-tan."

Surprised, Ross looked up at the sound of Crea's voice. "Huh? Crea? What are you doing here?" His childhood friend stood in the doorway of Alba's apartment, and Ross had no idea how he had got there.

Now there were two people here he didn't have a chance to hit. Although his side was still aching, he got up and hit Crea in the gut, ignoring his friend's question. "You explain something first," he snapped, relishing in his friend's pained groans. "Where were you when I was running for my life? And how do you know Alba?"

Ross didn't really trust Alba enough yet to explain everything. Well, that and it was to protect Alba; he could get interrogated for information if he knew anything about Ross.

"I would have helped you out, Shii-tan… But I have to keep my cover, remember…? I'm the best informant you have…" Crea gasped as he held onto his stomach. Every fiber in his being wanted to help out Ross when he found out his friend was exposed. He felt like a terrible best friend, and he still did; but what could he do? If Crea had blown his cover, it would only be a matter of time before everyone else was found out. "And I-"

Alba wasn't sure what was more surprising. The fact that his neighbor was a part of the mafia, that Crea knew Ross, or that Ross just hit his friend. "Crea is my neighbor. He lives in the next apartment over," he answered for Crea.

"Well, I'd appreciate a bit of help in a near death situation," Ross muttered at Crea, giving him a hard knock on his head. "Instead, I'm saved by some kid on the streets. Isn't Alba mai hero now!" he mocked. To be fair though, Ross knew Crea had tried his best. Not like he'd ever admit that, though.

Soon after his beating of Crea, Ross sat down casually on the sofa, nursing his side. The pain had worsened since the time he got up and repeatedly hit Crea. _"This will never do if I have to get in a fight again,"_ Ross thought. He really hoped it wasn't soon. Although, a part of him wanted to get up and hit people.

Alba had only watched the scene unfold before him. Crea was practically beaten to a pulp and was now unconscious on his floor while Ross was just in a bad mood at this point. He wasn't sure when he decided it was a good time to talk, but when he started to regret the idea, his mouth was already moving. "I know you weren't… expecting me to try to help you, but since I'm already in this mess, can you please tell me why you left the mafia?" he asked.

For a second, a slight surge of courage went through Alba as if telling him to help. He wasn't even sure if he would be assisting a good cause or not, but something inside him was just telling him to.

Ross sighed and scratched his head. "Well... It's not a long story." He turned seriously towards Alba. "The more you know, it's going to be more dangerous for you," he started.

"I... was going to overthrow the mafia. The guy in charge, Rchimedes, found out about me, and I had to run for it. I guess I knew a lot of inside information so for the past two weeks I've just been running from hitmen." He shut his mouth soon afterwards before he said anything important. "There you go. The end. Your beddie story time is over. Shoo."

He flapped his hands at Alba and Crea, as if shooing off a couple of noisy flies. Ross rubbed his eyes, suddenly feeling extremely tired. "I'm going to have to sleep soon anyways."

Alba would have questioned Ross more, but he knew it wouldn't have been wise to do so. The other was hurt and exhausted, obviously in no shape to keep talking. Anything he wanted to ask would have to wait until later.

As for Crea, it wasn't long before he left, saying he had to keep an eye on Rchimedes' men for Ross. Now, Alba was left with Ross. He knew getting involved with the matter would likely get him killed, but he wanted to help the other. The cause certainly wasn't entirely good, but it wasn't for evil either. Besides, it was the least he could do after Ross saved his life.

Ross closed his eyes and peacefully leaned back on the sofa. "Ahh.. .it feels nice to relax for a while," he exhaled, rubbing his eyes. Tiredness crept over him like a wave, and he fell into a slumber.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Forgot to update again. Sorry about that. Anyways, here you guys go. Enjoy.**_

_**EDIT: By the way, the new cover for the story is by the writer for Ross (ultimate-ross-booty at tumblr). Looks awesome doesn't it?**_

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**Heroes Aren't the Mafia. Right...?**

**Chapter 4**

It seemed only but a second that he closed his eyes when Ross saw the world around him, but it was a different room, dark and void of color, not the cozy small apartment he was in. He glared into the darkness. His injured side was blazed with pain. He heard screams, strangely sounding familiar. He tensed, wanting to cover his ears and run, but he couldn't. He was frozen in place. _"It's okay, Ross, it's just a nightmare,"_ he thought to himself. Yet he couldn't keep himself from trembling like a little child.

It wasn't long before the sounds faded away, unconsciousness taking a hold of him.

The sun was already shining when Ross woke up the next day, his stomach growling. He couldn't remember the dream from the previous night; it was nothing but a haze. He yawned and stretched, feeling the pain in his side had diminished a little. It could still get worse if he moved around too much, though. However, Ross noticed a blanket had been placed on top of him while he slept.

Alba had been out and about the apartment for a couple of hours, keeping an eye on Ross and checking with Crea for the mafia. But when the room was lit up by the morning sun, he thought it would be best to calm down for a bit and get his mind sorted out.

He had been planning on how to convince to Ross to take him along on this journey. It wasn't like Alba desperately wanted to, but since he was already getting dragged into this, why not go willingly?

However, he knew it would be best to keep that conversation for after breakfast. Ross needed to eat to get his strength back, and it was possible it would put the other in a better mood. Alba didn't want to be pummeled like Crea was the other day.

So when he heard Ross moving around on the couch, Alba his head out from the kitchen, greeting the other. "Good morning, Ross. Are you feeling better? I made breakfast," he said, glancing to the food that was made only a short while ago.

Ross perked up at the hearing of food. He could smell the scent of bacon and eggs. "Hey, Alba, thanks." Slowly, as to not injure his side, he got up and made his way to the kitchen.

He sat across the table from Alba and quickly shoveled down food, just realizing just how hungry he was. "Hey, this is actually good," Ross mumbled. "I've eaten better, though."

Alba was relieved to see Ross was fine, although the tiny insult hurt a little. He sat down and started eating as well, glancing at the other every now and then. He was tempted to start asking, but he just needed to be patient until after breakfast.

But that wouldn't stop small talk, though. "So ummm… how do you know Crea? I mean I know that the two of you were in the mafia, but any other reason?" Alba asked a little timidly.

Ross took a bite of his eggs, chewing slowly before answering. "I don't exactly know… we're sort of best friends." He shook his head. "Crea joined the mafia first... so I suppose I had to join him." Ross scowled at the table, clenching his fist. "I hated him at first for it. But I understand… he really didn't have a choice."

He shrugged, staring out the window. He didn't really feel like talking much. "It doesn't matter now, though."

Rather than answering some of his questions, the response only made Alba more curious. Why didn't Crea have a choice in joining? Why did Ross have to get involved? Why didn't any of that matter now?

All of these questions were no help to the curiosity building up inside of him, but he couldn't ask such things so openly. It wasn't the lightest subject to talk about, and the mafia was still looking for Ross. It would just have to wait. Again.

"…Is there anything you want to ask me since I… asked you something?" Alba asked, looking up from his food and at Ross. Sooner or later, he would get punched for talking so much, but he just wanted to lighten the mood.

Ross glanced at Alba, who was showing a determined, brave face, which really just annoyed him further. Ask _Alba_ anything? There was nothing Ross was interested in with Alba.

"Yeah I have a question: why were you such an idiot as to help a criminal? You should know I'm scary. Rawr." He kept his voice light, but Ross was quickly losing patience.

"F-First of all, I am not an idiot! Second, I helped you because you were injured, and I wasn't even aware of the fact you were a part of the mafia," Alba said, slightly unnerved by the insult. What was with Ross and sarcasm and beating people up? "Can't you, at least, _act_ like you care?

"Or would you rather prefer that I ask you more questions? Like just who are you running from in the mafia? Why are you doing this?" What was he saying? Ross would bite Alba's head off at this rate!

"Care…?" Ross clenched his hand into a fist and narrowed his eyes. His face felt hot and wished he could calm down, but this idiotic kid… He thought he knew what Ross had gone through. He thought that just knowing more about Ross was harmless.

"What makes you think you can talk to me like what?" Ross growled. Perhaps he could scare this kid from asking anymore questions with his scary face, but he dismissed the thought. _"Does Alba have a death wish?"_

Alba flinched a little when Ross' anger began to show, but his own emotions were starting to get to him as well. If things were different, maybe he would have backed out of the conversation, choosing fear over anger. But for some reason, he couldn't just hold himself back.

"Y-You're in my home that's why! And I'm a part of this now aren't I?! Shouldn't I be allowed to ask questions?!" Despite the early stuttering, the angry confidence was beginning to show in Alba. Why or how his usual lack of backbone or self-confidence wasn't showing, it wasn't clear. All he knew was that he had to reason some way or another. Although, this wasn't proving to be the most ideal thing.

"Part of what? What makes you think you can ask questions, you-" Ross's anger finally overflowed. He suspected he might regret it later, but he grabbed Alba's shirt. His chair overturned and fell with a bang, but he hardly noticed.

"Anything- anything you know is dangerous towards me. And you. You have no idea how to fight, let alone defend yourself." He stopped mid rant to take a breath. "You are not a part of anything. You have a normal life... Why do you need to interfere?" He sighed, suddenly feeling a wave of exhaustion.

He shoved Alba back. The table was between him and Alba, making it hard to hit the idiot. _"But the punches were adding up,"_ Ross thought.

Alba stared at Ross for a good minute, trying to settle the fear that suddenly sprang up inside of him. He had hoped that the other was either too exhausted or too injured to try to pick a fight, but he was wrong. Terribly wrong. But that didn't kill the feeling he had as he stood back up, trembling slightly.

"I'm not interfering. I already know about you and Crea and the mafia so how can I even hide that and go back to my normal life? Won't the hitmen hunt me down or something just like you? It would be better if I learned how to fight and just stick with you.

"Besides, if I was that dangerous, wouldn't you have killed me by now? Either that or I would have gone straight to the police after hearing the truth." Alba desperately tried to keep eye contact with Ross the whole time he talked, but as soon as the last word left his mouth, he looked away. He felt fearful of being grabbed again or hit by the other.

Ross glared steadily at Alba and took a deep breath. When he spoke again, he was much calmer. "It's like you want to help me, you idiot." He turned around and picked the chair up that he had overturned. Ross had never knew someone that could be so annoying and felt fed up explaining everything.

"First of all, I would never take you along anywhere. Imagine all the work having to train a kid to fight. Just thinking about it makes me tired already," Ross scoffed, heading for the doorway, which was past where Alba was sitting. "And second-" He turned and hit Alba in the gut. "Keep eye contact. Looking away shows you are weak."

With that he strolled out the room, without a glance back.

Alba gasped and held his stomach in pain. The scene had nearly appeared to be comical if it hadn't been for the fact that the conversation before was a little heated. But despite the complaints and lecturing, he was finally able to convince Ross.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Little bit of a longer chapter this time (not as long as the last one but still), but the next couple of chapters may seem a bit rushed. We apologize for that, but we hope you all still enjoy the story.**_

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**Heroes Aren't the Mafia. Right...?**

**Chapter 5**

A couple of weeks later, Alba and Ross had long left the city. Alba had wanted to get something figured out with his apartment landlord, college, and employer, but Ross had lectured him about the dangers of doing that. Along with giving him a couple of hits in the gut.

And that was how the two found themselves all the way over in Germany. Apparently, there was business to be handled in the heart of the country, and in the meanwhile, Ross had, apparently, taken it upon himself to train Alba. Which was absolute torture for Alba.

"I know you said I can't fight but is fighting _you_ really necessary?" Alba asked, panting and sweating heavily.

Ross just stared on in boredom of the lesson, brushing his hair back. To be quite honest, Ross was too trained to have to try against Alba. Although Alba was learning quickly, he was still completely out of shape, and it was easy to anticipate his next move.

"It's necessary. Who's going to discipline you when you suck more than usual?" Ross flipped his knife in the air, speaking in his usual, sarcastic tone.

"And why are you panting? Are you some kind of a pervert?"

"I am not a pervert! I've been training with you for over an hour! Of course I would be panting like a dog!" Alba denied as he got up. He stared at the other, slowing down his breathing. "…But I can handle another round." He gripped the training knife tightly in his hand, charging at Ross. It hadn't taken long for him to remember techniques but getting the right speed and power into them was proving to be very difficult.

But he wasn't going to give up. No, Alba was going to show Ross that he could learn. That he wasn't just a dead weight that could be thrown back home.

Ross deflected the knife easily, but he noticed Alba's precision was better. "I'm pretty sure you're a pervert," he scoffed. Ross grabbed Alba's knife arm and kicked his knee, making the younger boy fall heavily to the ground with a yelp of pain. "Heheh… Are you okay?"

Ross looked down at the boy only to see that Alba had passed out from exhaustion. "Ah well. You really didn't have to push yourself that much," Ross muttered. He didn't really feel like more teaching anyway.

He wiped sweat from his brow and checked his watch. He had some business soon, and he probably have to leave soon. And so, he left Alba in the motel and headed to his destination.

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Teufel Diabolos. The "Devil" of the mafia. He was high up on the ladder and was quite feared by all who were below him. They all believed he was one of the elite killers and was capable of ending all of their lives in an instance.

Part of that was true.

To his peers and superiors, it was quite the different story. Teufel was not a hard worker, only doing so to get into a position that wouldn't get him fired so easily. Once there, he would become the laziest, cheapest person anyone knew. When it came to killing, he wasn't one to do it very often and never just for the fun of it. However, he was quite effective at it though.

That was why despite his laziness, he was an informant and thief for the mafia. His work habits were below average, but his skills were certainly no laughing matter.

But when he had heard of Ross' betrayal, Teufel was not surprised in the slightest. He knew sooner or later someone high up would attempt an overthrow. However, that also meant that he was asked to keep an eye out for the other and bring him in if found. Why would he deliberately do that when his one job alone was enough?

Ross moved quickly through the town, making sure to keep his hood on while he headed towards the manor Teufel worked in. Teufel would be an important person to have on his side, as his reputation was quite an interesting one. Yet Ross would see for himself.

He had to make sure no one from the mafia knew he was here, along with a squishy kid he was training. The mafia branch in Germany would likely not be alerted to his presence here though, due to Teufel being stationed there, but it was still better to not take risks. He couldn't really say he was famous in the mafia; it was more like everyone knew who he was, no matter where he went. Ross hated that.

It took him about an hour to reach the manor, just as the sun was beginning to set. It was a pretty huge elaborate castle, Ross remembered, and full of guards. But that really wouldn't be a problem. Not yet.

It would have been easier to just forget what he saw. It would have been the lazy way out of the situation. However, it would be much too dangerous for Teufel to leave a member of the mafia- no. The boss' _son_ standing right outside of the manor. It would attract unwanted attention, and he would lose his post here, resulting in erasing his image from Germany and finding a new family to work under. In other words, more unwanted work.

Besides, it was obvious that the other wouldn't be standing out there for no reason. The boy wasn't that stupid.

Teufel made sure no one followed him as he left the manor, walking toward the black-haired boy. "What are you doing all the way out here?" he asked, yawning a bit. "Unless this has to do with money, I'm not really interested in why you're here, and I'll have to… force you to leave."

Ross tried to hide his smile, as he scanned the area around him once again. So this was one of the said legendary warriors of the mafia, the one called "Devil." If he got Teufel on his side, that could prove to be better for his plan down the road. Although, he had to first make sure that the plan right now would work.

"Hello there," Ross calmly spoke back. He carefully moved back a few steps, trying to keep just far away from Teufel so it would be harder to get attacked. "I'd like to make a deal with you for your loyalty to me. You fight for me and do what I say. And well, if you want money, that's something you know I have."

He held up three fingers to his face. "Three billion, and you might want to decide quickly. Is this not enough? " Ross figured his presence alone was a threat to Teufel's job and his workload. Every second that passed would mean a higher chance to be discovered.

"Deal." Teufel didn't even have to think about it. It was a much better deal than what he was making now. Even if that did mean more work in the possible future. But he didn't mind the cause so much. He was sick of Rchimedes too.

"Just keep in mind that I have my own cover to keep. Visits shouldn't happen too often," he said, glancing back at the manor. He didn't have much more time to waste before someone noticed them. Teufel gave Ross one last look before walking away, saying, "As long as I get my payment, I'll be sure to keep my lips sealed about your visit."

Ross nodded with a satisfied smile on his face. It was so easy when money was mentioned. "Sounds good then. I'll notify you when the time arises then." He turned and swiftly headed away from the manor, making sure to stay far away from any guards as possible. _"They would never know I was here,"_ Ross thought, rubbing his head, wondering if he had promised too much money to Teufel.

The night was growing more darker and foggy as Ross headed home, stopping by a store to pick up dinner. He could see his breath in the cold air. It would still take around an hour to arrive back at their motel, perhaps longer depending if there was trouble along the way.

He debated to buy some chocolate for himself, and himself only. Alba wasn't going to get any.

_**On an added note, I also want to apologize for my (the writer for Alba)**__**characterization of Teufel. I understand he's very shy/awkward around strangers, but the AU itself made that a little difficult to do. If I had gone with that detail, it would have made certain interactions difficult, but I apologize for leaving out this crucial detail.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Once again, we have to apologize for the story feeling like it was rushed, and for the characterization of the characters. It's our first time writing for Senyuu so it's all going to be a bit strange.**_

_**Note: We both wrote for Foyfoy, but overall, most of the writing was by the Ross writer.**_

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**Heroes Aren't the Mafia. Right...?**

**Chapter 6**

When Alba was woken up, he was expecting it to be Ross forcing him out of the bed. It the usual at this point with the other's sadistic nature. However, when he noticed a blade pointing at his neck and a pair of golden eyes staring back at him, there was no question about the circumstance. Ross had warned him of the hitmen coming after them and attempting to kill them. But never once had any actually found them.

"Where is he?" the hitman asked, pressing the blade even closer to Alba's neck. He gulped, staring down the stranger.

"I…I don't know who you're ta-"

"Don't lie. You know exactly who I'm talking about." The stranger glared at Alba as if he was just dying to slice his throat open. It didn't take a second longer until Alba grabbed his knife and swung it at the hitman.

The stranger widened his eyes, being caught off guard, and jumped back, nearly having being gutted by the knife. He dodged and blocked Alba's attacks, retreating to the front door where he came from.

He had noticed the slight inaccuracy with the swings and snorted. "Well, that was a bit pitiful. But at least, it's confirmed he's here." He narrowed his eyes at Alba, who was facing him and holding his knife tightly. "Where are you hiding our little missing kid?" the stranger taunted, lunging forwards at Alba.

Alba blocked the attack, albeit quite tensely, and tried glaring at the stranger. Fear was already beginning to pool in his stomach, but it couldn't show. He couldn't look away from the danger either. Ross had taught him that. "I don't know where he is!" he said, desperately trying to push the hitman away.

There was no doubt that Alba had some speed on his side, but his stamina and strength were still ways away from being battle capable. There was no way he would be able to keep up for long. "And who are you?!"

The stranger easily blocked one of Alba's attacks and kicked him in the side. Alba stumbled back, groaning. "Who am I? Why does that matter?"

He flipped his long ponytail behind his back and leveled his blade. "Name's Foyfoy. I'm losing patience here. Tell me where our boss' kid is. Or else. "

"Boss'… kid? What do you mean by boss' kid?" Alba asked, getting back up again. There was no doubt the hitman was talking about Ross, but was the other really the leader's son? _"Wouldn't Ross tell me this…? No, he wouldn't. But whether this is true or not, I need to a-"_

"You're taking too long to answer." Before he could even react, pain was already beginning to surge through Alba. He stared down at his stomach where he found the stranger's blade impaling his side. It took everything he had not to scream, but one thought began to rapidly repeat in his mind.

_"Am I going to die…?"_

* * *

Ross had been away for quite a few hours and was calmly savoring his bar of chocolate while walking home. He didn't think anything could happen the few hours he was away from that annoying student he had.

As if he couldn't have been any more wrong.

The moment he saw the front door left ajar, Ross knew something had gone terribly wrong. Alba was stupid, but not stupid enough to forget to close it, was he? He realized that all the lights were off. Their dinner crashed to the ground, and Ross was already rushing into their room.

"Hey- Alba!" Ross looked around wildly, but there was no one in the kitchen. "Idiot - where are you?" He rounded the corner to the bedroom, and someone slammed into him, knocking Ross to the ground. A boot stomped on his knife arm as he tried to struggle, and he heard the hitman laughing. Terror coursed through him as he saw behind the hitman, Alba was slumped to the ground, bleeding terribly from his side. _"It's all my fault…isn't it…?"_ Ross thought dazedly.

The only thing Alba could feel was pain. The floor and wall had practically disappeared, and his mind was in a haze. It wouldn't be long before he lost consciousness. But he just… couldn't help but hate himself. He had been completely useless and failed to even save himself. Just pathetic.

_"Now we're both going to die…"_ he thought as his mind finally slipped into darkness.

"So this is where you went to, Foyfoy. You know, on a normal basis I wouldn't necessarily care where you run off to, but in this case, I'll make an exception." Teufel glanced at Alba before looking back at the other. "And killing people will blow our cover. I'd rather not have to find another job. It's too much work."

Foyfoy froze a moment, hearing his boss's voice, his eyes widening. His boss, who was supposed to be against Ross, was working _with him_?

"What exactly are you thinking? You know he's a traitor," Foyfoy spat but inching away from Teufel. He knew from experience how strong his boss really was. "Don't you come near him," he said, threatening holding his knife near Ross's neck.

"I understand he betrayed us, Foyfoy. But let's say that the deal had… changed." Teufel pulled his hands out of his pockets and sighed. "And since I haven't been paid yet, I can't quite allow you to kill him. Even if that means extra work, unfortunately."

Before another word could be said, Teufel was already face to face with Foyfoy, the tip of his fingers pressed against the other's neck. It wasn't long before the hitman collapsed onto the floor. He glanced at Ross and then over at Alba. "…I'll go take a look at your… companion."

In Ross's dazed mind, he hardly realized Foyfoy had passed out. "Thanks… Teufel."

His arm felt numb and sore, but he had to know if Alba was going to be okay or not. He picked himself up and headed over to where Alba was. His side wound was still bleeding badly, but he was breathing faintly. Ross felt a pang of murderous anger at Foyfoy, but he had to make sure Alba was safe before worrying about revenge.

"Teufel… do we need to get him to a hospital?" Ross asked, quickly grabbing a shirt and making makeshift bandages from it. "I'll have to stop the bleeding as soon as possible."

"…The injury is quite serious so it would be best if… _I _took him to the hospital," Teufel answered as he walked back over to Foyfoy, pulling out a small pair of handcuffs and cuffing his subordinate. "We both know that having you in such a public place would get you noticed. So until you hear from me, keep an eye on Foyfoy. You're more than welcomed to punish him or whatever but don't kill him. Death will only attract attention."

Once the wound was bandaged as well as it could be, Teufel gently picked up Alba and looked over at Ross. On most days, this much work would cause him to ask for even more money, but he wasn't oblivious. He could sense the mood when he wanted to, and it was obvious this wasn't the time. Besides, he wasn't entirely greedy either when it came to a good cause. "…I can see why you would defect from the mafia. Even with your skills, you're not exactly a hundred percent made for this like others."

And without another word, Teufel left for the hospital, not wanting to face the building rage of Ross.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Don't have much to say here at the beginning other than this chapter is a little on the short side, but hope you all enjoy the chapter.**_

* * *

**Heroes Aren't the Mafia. Right...?**

**Chapter 7**

Ross waited until Teufel left before even moving. His fists were shaking so hard; he was that furious.

"You're trash, you hear?" He snarled at Foyfoy. Although, it was obvious Foyfoy couldn't hear anything; he was knocked out. He kicked at Foyfoy, wishing he was conscious so he could hear his screams of pain. "If Alba... doesn't make it, I swear... I'll really kill you."

Ross realized he wasn't entirely angry at Foyfoy; he was also angry at himself for failing to prevent this sort of thing from happening. If Ross hadn't been lazy and strolled to the motel, he could have gotten to Alba before anything happened. If he had thought properly before foolishly rushing into the house, Ross might have not gotten so easily overpowered. There really wasn't anyone to blame but himself.

Yet he continued to hit Foyfoy for the next hour.

* * *

Alba wasn't sure what woke him first. Whether it was the throbbing pain in his side or his sudden change in location, there was no telling. But certainly, he was wary of the situation he was now in. He was no longer in the motel room and was, apparently, in a hospital room.

"So you're awake." Alba turned toward the voice, seeing the new stranger. He tried to get out of the bed, but the wound caused him to flinch and hold his side tightly. "Now, before you go shouting for help, I'm not here to hurt you. I brought you here. On Ross' behalf so to speak."

"Ross…? He told you to bring me here?"

"Well, he was willing to do it himself, but we both know the reason as to why he can't. Now before he decides to show up, mind if you answer a couple of a questions?"

Foyfoy had been out for the entire night and woke with his whole body in pain. "Ugh… what happened..." he muttered, rubbing his ribs. It felt like they were bruised, if not broken. He recalled finding Ross and easily catching him off guard… but then Teufel… had interfered with him.

A kick to his chest made him double over in pain. "Ow! Damn, what's your problem?" he wheezed, glaring at Ross. "Did you have to hit that hard?" Foyfoy gasped.

Ross's murderous expression was as bad as his father's.

"You tried to kill Alba. So give me one reason not to kill you right now," Ross said, gripping his fist. Ross had no idea what to do with Foyfoy, but he had to go to Alba soon and make sure he was okay.

"What do you want to ask me?" Alba looked at the other, slightly confused. First, he was brought to the hospital on Ross' behalf. Now he was going to be asked questions? Was he really brought here just because Ross asked?

"…Why would Ross bring someone like you along? I can't see him being the type to work with a partner or to bring along a… trainee." Teufel stuffed his hands into his pockets, watching Alba closely.

"Well… I told him since I was already involved, I might as well join him. I was already in danger just for being seen with him," Alba answered without missing a beat. Sure, he had almost died from being around Ross, but this was expected.

"So there's no other reason as to why you wanted to come along or why he agreed to this?"

Alba had to stop and think about that. Were there any other reasons he wanted to come along? Did Ross have other reasons for not abandoning him? "…No…"

Teufel glanced at the door, hearing footsteps in the hallway. He walked over to Alba, bending over and whispering into his ear. "Then I hope you don't mind that I do this." Alba wasn't given a chance to ask or question the other before his lips were held captive by the other's.

* * *

_**I probably regret this chapter the most because of the end. Teufel's actions go completely against his characterization, but at the time of writing this, I justified that it was for plot development. Now, I just can't help but regret my decision. I apologize for that.**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**This will probably be the shortest chapter yet. And the update is a bit early due to the fact that I will likely be away from the computer most of tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday. Anyways, we still have the same apologies as usual, and the certain actions that took place last chapter was just to give these two a little.. push. I hope you all enjoy.**_

* * *

**Heroes Aren't the Mafia. Right...?**

**Chapter 8**

Ross headed along the hospital hallway, with his head down, hoping none of the mafia around had been alerted to his presence yet. Foyfoy had been knocked out again at the motel, so Ross had time to check if Alba was still alive. Ross snorted. It wasn't if he cared that much, but he did want to see Alba in pain. He had just placed his hand on the door when he heard rustling from inside the room.

He wasn't ready really, to see Teufel kiss Alba. At first, he was stunned and wondered if Foyfoy had maybe hit his head too hard. "Alba! Are you okay?" He asked stupidly, stumbling into the room. "Teufel, what exactly are you thinking?" Ross angrily raised his voice, forgetting they were in a hospital.

Teufel pulled away from Alba, looking at Ross as he had done nothing wrong. Alba, on the other hand, was just as confused as the other, and his face was flushed with a bright red blush. He wasn't entirely too sure about what happened or why.

"…I just had to test something. I didn't think you would mind so much about this though," Teufel said blankly, not even flinching at the other's anger. If the situation escalated, he could always knock out Ross. It wouldn't be hard or take very long. But he had been here for long enough. Besides, it was tiring being around the two. "I'll leave you two to talk though. I have to get back to my post. You can send Foyfoy back once you think he's been punished enough."

Without another word, Teufel left the room, and silence took over.

Ross just stood blankly in the room, wondering if he should grab Teufel back here and demand to know why he just did what he did. But his angry outburst had probably attracted attention, and he kept his mouth shut. It didn't really matter to Ross who Teufel was in a relationship with. But it did make him wonder what was going on.

"Hey..." Ross mumbled. He was at a loss of words. "You don't seem too near death," he remarked, scanning Alba's wound. As of now, he didn't want to discuss what just happened.

Alba was still quite stunned by Teufel's action, unsure if his face was still burning with a blush. "I don't feel like I'm dying anymore, thankfully. But it still hurts to move around too much though," he said, mumbling a little.

He felt embarrassed about the whole thing. Not only had he been kissed, but it had been in front of Ross. "So ummm… how about we… forget the last five minutes of our lives never happened?" Alba asked, unsure of what else to do. There was no doubt that he would be useless for awhile so there was no reason to talk about that. They would probably have to relocate to somewhere else too. Besides, it was best to forget the awkwardness.

Right…?

Ross nodded slightly and shrugged. "Yeah sure. I'll come back later after you've healed more, and we'll move out." He didn't want to stay in the room any longer or he'd want to punch Alba, which wasn't exactly a good idea, considering his situation.

"I'll see you later," Ross said, leaving the room, not waiting for a response and quickly walking out of the hospital. He headed home and wondered if he should keep Foyfoy alive to be his official punching bag.


	9. Chapter 9

**_Welcome back to a longer chapter, guys. We once again apologize for how the plot moves along with certain developments. We planned this out, but we're still pretty new to story collaboration so please bare with us. Anyways, as always, enjoy the story._**

**_Note: I forgot to mention this the last time but the writer for Crea is me (Alba writer). Yeah, he isn't a very important character for this story so... yeah... sorry._**

* * *

**Heroes Aren't the Mafia. Right...?**

**Chapter 9**

Weeks had passed since then. Alba was, more or less, sneaked out of the hospital once in better condition. Foyfoy was sent back to Teufel right before they left Germany. Although, the stay didn't go without punishment and some reassurance that Teufel would keep an eye on his subordinate.

Now, they found themselves in Canada, meeting up with Crea to gather some information. Waiting in silence for the other was not an option so instead, the two decided to spar. However, nothing could rid the air of the thick, growing awkwardness between them.

Alba blocked another oncoming attack from Ross and grunted. Just the fact that the other was experienced certainly made him a tough opponent, but the still healing wound was causing Alba problems in keeping up. But he pushed on, deflecting Ross' attack and taking a jab at him.

Ross easily dodged Alba's attack, narrowing his eyes. He knew Alba was still healing from his wound, even if it had been a couple weeks, but he still had to improve. No hitman would go easy on him if he was wounded.

"Come on, you can do better than that," Ross snapped, kicking Alba in the knee. "Just because you're hurt doesn't mean people will pity you. Especially not me." He liked seeing Alba grimace in pain and realized how much he had missed bullying the younger boy. The past events had sort of kept him from doing that for a while. Ross considered tripping him and stuck his foot out as Alba charged again.

As it turned out, the momentum of the trip made Alba ram right into Ross, who stiffened, his legs freezing up. Ross fell backwards, slamming his head on the floor, seeing stars. Alba had collapsed right on top of him.

Alba could only stare at Ross, his face only centimeters away from the other's. Ross' breathing was warm against his skin, and a blush was already beginning to form across his face. He wanted to move away from the other and forget the incident like the one only weeks before.

But how could this be forgotten? There was no personal space between the two of them, and with one simple move, they could… They would… Alba didn't know why, but he just felt so tempted to let gravity do its job and allow him to k-

_Click._

"Shii-tan! I got some great news to sha-" Alba looked over at the entrance, seeing the door left wide open and Crea standing in the doorway. The grin on the informant's face quickly changed into a very confused look. The door shut behind him as he tilted his head. "Are you guys doing some weird training or am I interrupting something different?"

Ross felt like he wanted to die of embarrassment. Did Crea just have to enter the room the moment something like this happened?

"Alba, get off!" Ross blustered, angrily shoving the boy off him. He sat up flustered and breathing heavily. "Crea… what do you want?"

"I was able to gather some information, and from what I've been told, we're definitely gaining more and more allies for our overthrow. At the rate we're going at, more than half of the mafia should be on our side," Crea reported as he watched the two get out of their situation. Alba's face was still covered in a dark blush and didn't even make a sound as he was shoved. "So what exactly were you guys doing? Was it some kind of special training?"

"I…It was nothing, Crea. Just a slip up that's all," Alba mumbled, refusing to make eye contact with either of the two. The embarrassment was too much at the moment.

Ross nodded to the good news, feeling that the fact that the mafia was siding with him should have made him overjoyed. Yet all he felt was a feeling of complete mortification of what has just happened, and an urge to hit Crea for having to see that. He understood Alba was embarrassed too, as his face was the color of a bright tomato, and inwardly cursed himself for letting something like this happened.

"And it's nothing, Crea," Ross mumbled. "Thanks for the good news, but you shouldn't stay nearby for too long. It'll still be dangerous." He found himself wanting to be alone, trying to dismiss Crea from the motel. He thought of leaving Alba at the apartment and walking around town. Yet… no, that was a terrible idea. What if another hitman incident happened again when they were separated? He had to protect Alba, yet there was nothing Ross wanted more than to leave him, at least for a while. Ross gritted his teeth, wanting to punch something.

"Of course. If more information comes my way though, I'll be sure to let you know as soon as possible," Crea said, grinning a little before leaving as if nothing had happened.

Just as things had been with Teufel, only silence and an awkward tension hung in the air like a veil. Alba hadn't even gotten off the floor, a blush still ever present on his face. As awkward as the incident was, the fact that _those_ thoughts spawned in his mind so quickly made his mind spin even more. There was no way that he willingly wanted that to happen.

Ross was sadistic and sarcastic, just waiting to see Alba in pain and enjoy it. Just _why_ would he be in love with someone like that? But… when he thought about it, there were times when Ross was nice and actually cared about him. It wasn't often, but it still happened every now and then. And… the other was careful when he was still seriously injured. So Ross wasn't always that bad-

_"Oh no…"_

Ross' whole face was still felt very hot, and he just wanted to get the thought of Alba out of head. He didn't want anything to do with Alba. He was obviously not interested in any sort of relationship. Alba was just someone he had to mentor, and he refused to even process what he thought about Alba. Why did he care that much for Alba anyway? He needed air, wishing to leave the room.

But perhaps even acting in anyway different would show how much _that_ had perturbed him. Ross took a deep breath, trying to settle his heartbeat. "Jeez…" he muttered, exhaling. He pressed his foot against Alba's chest, watching him flinch in surprise. "Who said we were done fighting?" he demanded. "Just… be more careful next time."


	10. Chapter 10

_**Sorry that the update is a little late again. It completely slipped my mind until this morning. As usual, the two of us hope you all enjoy the story. Enjoy.**_

* * *

**Heroes Aren't the Mafia. Right...?**

**Chapter 10**

The day had dragged on slowly from that point on. Other than the sounds of sparring, the room remained relatively silent. They could barely keep eye contact with another before either Alba looked away or Ross took a jab at him. There was no way things could go on like this, though.

Before long, the training was wrapped up for the day, and it was almost time to sleep. If it wasn't for the fact that sleep was at the back of Alba's mind. If all of this awkward tension was going to continue, he wasn't sure he would be able to take it. At the very least, it needed to be cleared up some way, some how. "…Hey, Ross… can we talk…?"

Ross had heard Alba's question, yet he didn't turn to look at Alba. "Yeah. Sure," he mumbled, rubbing his temple. He could feel the tension between the two of them, but he had no idea how he could clear this up. Ross was infuriated with himself for being terrified of a younger boy, one that still couldn't fight him and win. His heart was beating too fast.

"Alba, I just want to say…" Ross started to say, but his throat clenched up. He cleared it furiously, still trying to avoid looking at Alba. "I don't know…"

Alba looked down at the floor, clenching his fists and trying to calm his rapidly beating heart. If something wasn't done now, things might never get better. Then again… it could always get worse. He took a deep breath and looked at Ross as his face slowly grew red.

"I…I want to say something too… I…" Alba's face only grew darker and darker. The words wouldn't form, but he wanted to get this off his chest so badly. "I…I don't know… when or how this happened but… I…I honestly… I honestly _like_ you… and I mean…" His mind was filled with thoughts that he wanted to say, but his voice stopped there. He felt so unsure of continuing or even just shouting out what he wanted to confess.

"Alba…" Ross could see Alba struggling as much as he was, and it hurt to see Alba like that. The two had grown too close together, and Ross knew he had to be serious. At least for now. And he had to confess his own feelings anyway, sooner or later. Wondering if he would regret it, if he would somehow mess it up, he turned around and hugged Alba close, feeling the other gasp with surprise.

"It's okay… alright?" he said softly. "You don't need to stress yourself out over something like this. I'm going to be here for you."

Alba wasn't sure what to feel or think when Ross hugged him. His heart clenched, and his arms were already wrapping around the other. He buried his face into Ross' shoulder and didn't say a word. To be honest, he felt like there wasn't a reason to. Just knowing that Ross truly did care about him deep down inside was enough.

So instead, they sat there and hugged, slowly erasing the awkward tension that had built up over the weeks. The silence no longer felt like a heavy pressure in the air, but rather, it was relaxing and comforting. It was nice for once.

Ross gently leaned back from Alba after a while, cupping his face with his palm. "You know, I never knew if you liked it when Teufel kissed you," he whispered, leaning on Alba's forehead, feeling jealous as he thought of that incident at the hospital. He suppressed the urge to kiss Alba, at least for now. He didn't want to force himself on Alba.

"If you don't mind?" Ross asked quietly. He hoped Alba would understand what he meant.

Alba's face turned red once again. He didn't dare look at Ross directly, but his heart was beginning to beat like a drum again. "…I… The kiss was more of a surprise rather than a pleasure… so I can't really say I liked it…" he mumbled, slowly bringing his attention to Ross. Their faces were merely inches away, and Ross had offered to…

…It was now or never really.

"But… I won't mind this time…"

Ross smirked as Alba's face turned red. He was cute when he was embarrassed. "Well, suit yourself," he said, leaning in. Ross felt lightheaded as their lips met, a shiver running through his body. He felt unusually glad Alba hadn't liked Teufel's kiss.

As soon as their lips met, Alba felt weightless, as if his whole body was sent fluttering. The beating in his chest didn't slow, and his blush only grew darker and darker. Ross' lips were surprising light and gentle against his own. It was such a great surprise. An amazing feeling. It was much better than the one, quick moment Teufel had with him. He slowly pulled away, staring a little at Ross before smiling a little. "You're surprisingly gentle, you know."

Ross leaned back from Alba after the kiss, his face a slight shade of pink. "Well, thanks, I guess." He hadn't thought himself as gentle, but there wasn't anything wrong with that.

"You know, Alba," Ross mumbled. "You've made my life much better. Even if you can be a bit annoying." He flicked Alba's forehead teasingly.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Another chapter up. We do want to apologize if the plot seems to be moving along a little too quickly, but we do hope you're all enjoying the story. Enjoy.**_

* * *

**Heroes Aren't the Mafia. Right...?**

**Chapter 11**

Time had flown by quite quickly this time around. The awkward feeling in the air was no longer present, and they were certainly talking much more now. The teasing hadn't gone away, obviously, but Ross had become more caring at times. However, that didn't stop the intensity of their training sessions.

Alba had slowly been improving over the weeks. His injury had fully healed, allowing him to pick up the pace in training. He felt like he was getting closer to rivaling Ross' abilities. Although, that was just what he thought.

He took a step back, tightly gripping the knife in his hand. "Can we get a break yet…?" Alba asked as he charged at Ross.

Ross dodged swiftly to the side as Alba charged, rolling to the side. His skills hadn't been too bad, and Ross had to concentrate to actually fight Alba. "Perhaps," he muttered, grabbing Alba's arm, making sure to avoid his knife. He wrenched him to the ground, holding Alba's knife arm to the floor. "Go faster next time, but not too fast that you'll lose your balance if you miss," Ross instructed. "But we can do that tomorrow."

He had been right on top of Alba, but now it didn't seem as awkward or embarrassing. Ross might have blushed a bit though, so he quickly got off the younger boy. "Yeah, we're done. Good job today," he said, punching Alba in the back.

"Thanks, Ross." Alba smiled at Ross, not even flinching at the punch. It hadn't taken long to get used to it, but there were still times where it caught him off guard. "But I think you're forgetting something, though."

It had become quite usual for the two to share some affections after training. As Ross put it, Alba needed to work for these little things at times. Although, there were times when the other would be kind and become affectionate between training sessions.

Ross sighed, leaning in and giving Alba a little peck on the cheek. "That's all you get," he said teasingly. The kisses had been a bit of a present nowadays to give Alba for his hard work, and to be fair, Ross liked them as well.

Ross walked to the kitchen, planning to get some water. He had been sweating a little from the training and got a water bottle. He sipped from it, looking out the window to the huge city of Tokyo outside their motel, which felt calming to him.

Alba didn't complain with the small kiss. Ross could have given him nothing more after their first kiss. Besides, with the other's sadistic nature, any affection he received was good enough. "…How much longer until we overthrow Rchimedes' mafia?" he asked, looking over at Ross.

Despite all the growing affection between the two of them, there was still something bothering Alba. The night he was attacked, Foyfoy kept calling Ross the "boss' kid." He hadn't had a chance to ask the other about the title, and no time seemed appropriate either. It wasn't that he was an idiot and wasn't sure what that meant. But Alba wanted to know why. _"Maybe after all of this over…" _he thought to himself.

Ross shrugged for a moment before turning to face Alba. "It's not finalized yet. But it might be very soon. You're going to have to be ready for it." He glared at Alba. "If I don't think you're strong enough, I'll tie you someplace and let you stay there until it's all over.

"And anyways, Teufel should be meeting with us soon," Ross continued. He put this coat on, yawning. "I should get going."

"I _will_ be strong enough you know. You won't have to worry about me, I promise." Alba walked over to Ross. He took the other's hand and squeezed it. "But shouldn't I go with you? After all, it's not like you'll have to be constantly watching me."

Even though he didn't say it, Alba felt like he was being a little underestimated. He wasn't on Ross' level of skill, but he was, no doubt, stronger than when he first met the other. He didn't need to be watched and protected all the time.

"I understand, Alba," Ross said. He knew that Alba was strong enough now to handle a lot of people from the mafia. "But still… I'm always going to worry." He hadn't bothered to tell Alba why the most skilled hitmen were coming after him, for a particular reason. "You're always going to be in danger around me." Ross didn't really want to scare Alba though and leaned in to touch Alba's forehead against his own to comfort him. For a moment, they stayed there silently, enjoying each other's company.

After a couple of minutes, he pulled away and unlocked the door to their room, pulling Alba along a bit roughly. "Come on, we have to go now."

Alba smiled and nodded back at Ross. Finally. He had his chance to show the other his potential if things went bad. He wouldn't have to sit out the fight and hide.

However, as they pushed the door open, the two stopped in their tracks. Before them was Foyfoy, the hitman who had tried to kill them only weeks earlier. They would have been on the offensive if it hadn't been for the fact that the blonde was battered and covered in blood.

Ross was quickly suspicious of any trap, seeing that Foyfoy tried in no way to defend himself. But he dismissed the idea, thinking that the hitman couldn't really be that good of an actor. His eyes were wide with terror and desperation.

"I found you two- finally-" Foyfoy gasped, stumbling, blood dripping from the side of his neck. "Please, they've got Teufel. Please-" Ross stiffened and drew out his knife. He wanted to gut Foyfoy first, but perhaps that wasn't a good idea.

"Where is Teufel?" Ross growled. "Hurry up, we won't have time!"


	12. Chapter 12

_**Sorry once again that Friday chapter is a day late. Anyways, not much to say as usual, but there is one comment at the end so make sure to read that once you're done. Well, enjoy.**_

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**Heroes Aren't the Mafia. Right...?**

**Chapter 12**

Alba stayed silent as Foyfoy led the way to Teufel. In any normal situation, he would have had Foyfoy come into the room and explain what happened, allowing the other to rest. But this was the mafia. They didn't have any time to wait and talk.

"Teufel had… told me to get you guys… He was fighting off… Rchimedes' top men…" Foyfoy explained, panting heavily. He looked like he was on the verge of collapsing. The hitman turned into an alley and stopped dead in his tracks. Alba looked down the alley, and his eyes widened at the sight before them.

Despite the darkness hanging over the alleyway, it couldn't hide the scene. The floor was drenched with blood while the walls were practically painted red. It was obviously a fight to the death, but only one body was left in the middle of the giant puddle. It was sprawled across the floor, covered in various wounds and stained dark red.

It was a gruesome scene of murder, and they were too late.

Ross froze in his steps, staring at the horror that laid in front of him; his eyes widening. Teufel was lying unmoving, and blood still dripped from his wounds. A pit of anger in his stomach began to form. He had never liked Teufel after he had kissed Alba and had been jealous of him for a long time. But no one deserved a death like this.

"Damn it…" Ross snarled, punching the wall. "Just damn it!" Why did something like this always happen? He felt angry and wanted to find the hitmen who did this. But what was he going to do?

Alba could only stare at the scene. His stomach was churning from the sight and smell. He felt like he was going to be sick. But he couldn't even begin to imagine how Foyfoy was feeling. The other hadn't said a word and only stared at the dead body that was Teufel's.

"Ross… what do we do now…?" Alba mumbled as he looked away from the scene. "Do we… go on with the plan or…" His voice faded; the smell was choking him.

Ross turned away from the scene, sighing angrily and walking away. He didn't want to talk to Foyfoy as of now; he felt too guilty. "I suppose we do. Teufel's death will make quite a few people upset, and they will likely support us now." He walked out of the shadows of the alleyway, not looking back.

"We can't just _leave_ his body there, you ungrateful pricks!" Foyfoy's voice came out strangled and broken. Ross was surprised. He didn't know Foyfoy had really cared for Teufel. "He was indebted to you! The least we can give him is a burial." Foyfoy's voice cracked as he spoke.

Alba slowly nodded, still refusing to look back at the bloody scene. Foyfoy had a point. Teufel had agreed to help them, and rather than giving up information that those hitmen were probably looking for, he fought them off until his last breath.

"Ross… he has a point…" he mumbled, glancing back at the body quickly. "We can't just leave Teufel… his body here…"

Ross hesitated a moment before nodding. He could see Alba and Foyfoy's point, but he still didn't want to have to take part in this. He felt too angry to want to do anything. Yet his mouth spoke the opposite. "Yeah, I'll help."

He didn't want to carry Teufel, but what other choice did he have? Foyfoy was obviously too weak and about to pass out, and he didn't want Alba to have to do something like this. He gently picked Teufel up and pulled him over his shoulder, but a sharp pain shot through his shoulder.

It hurt terribly, and Ross stumbled, dropping Teufel. "Ugh!" he groaned, taking his knife out from his pocket. He watched as a person emerged from the alleyway, smiling viciously.

"Right when I thought you three would _never_ get here. I'm surprised it had taken so long, but at least, I won't be going back empty handed." As Alba looked over at Ross, there was a _thump_ behind him, catching his attention as well. Foyfoy had passed out, but it wasn't from the blood loss. There was a pin of some sort sticking out from the back of his shoulder. "Oh, don't worry. He's not dead yet. He will be once he finishes bleeding out, though.

"However, I don't think Ross will have such a "peaceful" death." Alba turned back to Ross, pulling out his knife but froze once he saw what was happening. Even though the hitman was short, she had Ross on his knees with a gun aimed at his head and three knives pressed against his throat.

Ross wanted to struggle, but there was no way to fight without getting stabbed or shot at. His shoulder was in no condition to be used in a fight now either; all Ross could do was hope something provided a distraction. He had to try to stall for time before the inevitable came.

Alba could perhaps fight this hitman off, but Ross wasn't sure.

"What's wrong? Don't know how to fight or are you scared?" the hitman mocked Alba, brushing one of the blades against Ross' chin and drawing blood. "It would be so simple, so _easy_ to end your life and his. But I would rather enjoy your fear and uselessness. You can't save yourself or your partner."

Alba couldn't move or speak a word. Fear had paralyzed him, and the growing smirk on the other's face did nothing to reassure his confidence. He didn't have a gun, only a knife that could be blocked or dodged easily. And what if he hit Ross by accident? Every possibility was against him.

"Well, if you're just going to stand there, I guess I'll have some fun while you watch." A grin spread across the hitman's face as she began to make small cuts on Ross' neck and cheeks. Despite his heart telling him to act while his brain only kept him frozen in fear, Alba watched in utter horror, unsure of what to do.

Pain flared on Ross's face as the hitman started to carve into his face. It hurt badly, and he yelled out, trying to struggle. "This is fun, Ross," the hitman crooned, laughing. "You should learn to like it, now." She stopped for a moment, as if considering what to do next.

"What if I cut your eye out next?" she wondered, a cruel smile appearing on her face. She flicked her knife at his forehead. Ross' blood ran cold; his thoughts running wild as he tried to think of something to do. Ross gritted his teeth in desperation and heatbutted her before she could position her knife correctly.

"Ow!" She leaned back stunned as Ross reached for a weapon. _Any_ weapon.

As soon as the knives moved away from Ross' neck and the gun was dropped, something snapped in Alba. Just one look at Ross' face and his emotions began to boil.

"Why you…" The hitman raised her knives, readying for a killing blow, until Alba grabbed her arm. She stared up at him and smirked. "What are you planning on doing? Do you not understand I can kill the two of you in a moment's no-" Her voice became silent in a second as blood sprayed through the air. She fell to the ground with a knife sticking out of her chest.

Standing above her, covered in blood, was Alba.

* * *

_**I bit anti-climatic and we apologize for this. It has more to do with how we decided to separate the chapters, and we decided to let the whole ordeal be in one chapter. Maybe that was a mistake for this chapter after reading it through, but we still hope that you're all enjoying the story.**_

_**NOTE: For this chapter, the Alba writer (myself) wrote for Foyfoy and the female hitman (who was actually April. I would have gone more in detail with her, but obviously she won't be making a reappearance and her role is mostly insignificant).**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**Would this count as a day late? I don't know. Maybe? Anyways, this isn't the best chapter, but we still hope you all enjoy the story. We're nearing the end guys. Only a couple more chapters. Enjoy.**_

* * *

**Heroes Aren't the Mafia. Right...?**

**Chapter 13**

Ross stood frozen for a moment, watching, but not processing what had happened. A splatter of blood dripped down his cheek. "Alba… what did you just do?" His voice came choked and dazed. Alba had just killed her.

He never knew Alba had the guts to do something like that, even if it was to save his life. Alba had never killed anyone, and now that Ross dragged him into this… this was the result. "_Why did it come to this?"_ he thought.

Alba stared at the still body of the hitman as the adrenaline began to fade, and his face paled. He hadn't even planned on killing her, but seeing Ross being cut and tortured… something snapped in him. "I…I didn't…" He couldn't find his voice to explain what had went through his mind. He wasn't even sure where to begin to explain.

Alba trembled with realization hitting him like a ton of bricks; his knees buckling and giving out beneath him. He had killed someone. It didn't matter if his life was in danger. He took someone's life, and there was nothing to change what happened.

Ross caught Alba before he collapsed on the floor and steadied him. Ross was still bleeding from the many cuts, but he took Alba's hands, trying to comfort the younger boy. "It's okay, it's okay, everything's going to be fine," Ross said; although, he was afraid that was going to be a lie. He knew by too much experience how it felt to kill people. But he knew also that Alba couldn't afford to be grieving just yet. Ross planted a soft kiss on Alba's forehead. "Calm your breathing," he instructed.

"We need to get away from here first," Ross commanded, tightening his grip on Alba and helping him stand up. "Can you carry Foyfoy?"

Alba nodded slowly, still shaking like a leaf. As much as his body refused to move, he didn't have much of a choice. They had to leave before someone saw them, even if it proved to be difficult.

He pulled his knife from the hitman's dead body with trembling fingers before going over to Foyfoy. The other was still bleeding out, but somehow, he was still alive. Carefully, he lifted Foyfoy up and looked over at Ross. They would be able to take Teufel's body and Foyfoy, but the hitman's would have to be left behind and hope that it wouldn't be a bad decision.

* * *

It took them quite a while to get back to their motel unnoticed; having an unconscious Foyfoy being carried around in public would raise suspicions. Ross didn't want the police on his tracks and sent Teufel's body to some mafia members that were on his side. He hoped they would do as he said and give Teufel a proper burial.

What worried him more, though, was Alba. Though he seemed to be following through with all of Ross's orders, he seemed to be losing it the more the time passed. Ross wanted to get him back to the motel as fast as he could.

As soon as they got back to the room, Alba helped Ross take care of Foyfoy's injuries along with his, but once that was done and taken care of, he just stayed on the bed. He watched some Japanese show that didn't make much sense to him, trying to repress the memories from only a couple of hours ago. Even though most of the images were blurred at this point, the smells and sounds were still present in his mind.

But there was one memory that stayed as clear as day.

Alba's hand tightly gripped the knife that had plunged through the hitman's chest. Life fading from her eyes and the grip on her own weapons weakening. Blood splattering his clothes and skin, filling the air with even more death. And then, Ross staring at him with utter disbelief and shock.

Even the slightest thought of the image caused his throat to grow dry and his stomach to churn violently. One question always came to mind when the memory flashed through his mind. _"Why did I kill her?"_

Ross had been worried about Alba, but he went to the kitchen first and made dinner, which was just some hot soup and bread. He sat on the bed with Alba, wondering how he could comfort him. He could see the blankness in Alba's eyes.

"Alba, you need to eat," he commanded, squeezing his hand. "And after that, just get some sleep."

Alba nodded and took the food; however, he didn't give much of a response besides that. He chewed on the bread slowly, trying to forget the memories and images. But as soon as he glanced at Ross' face, everything came back to him in an instant.

He stopped eating and immediately began to shake and tremble. Alba dropped the food and covered his face. He knew his life was in danger and so was Ross'. It was a kill or be killed situation. Just… why did _he_ kill her? Why didn't he let Ross do it?

"Alba…" Ross hugged him, trying to stop his trembling. "You can talk to me, alright? There was no other option. You saved me." Ross wondered how he could help Alba. He just seemed so broken right now.

He ducked his head in Alba's shoulder, wanting him to understand. Perhaps after a night's sleep it would be better.

Alba stayed silent, but for the rest of the night, he wasn't too far from Ross. When it was time to get some rest, he had Ross share a bed with him. He wrapped his arms around the other and buried his face into Ross' chest.

Sleep came sooner than he had expected, but it certainly wasn't a peaceful sleep.

* * *

_Alba was back in the alleyway, every inch of it painted dark red and the smell of blood and death choked him. In his hands, he had his own gun while a stranger, their face blurred out, stood in front of him. He tried throw the gun away, fear beginning to bubble up in the pit of his stomach._

_Bang._

_Alba's eyes widened as the stranger fell to the ground while the gun smoked. _"Why did I shoot? The stranger didn't even have a weapon!"_ The shadows in the alley began to stretch up the walls, cursing and yelling at him. "No! I didn't mean to kill them! Please!"_

* * *

Ross woke up in the middle of the night, realizing Alba was tossing and turning in bed. He was panicking in his sleep. "Alba! Are you okay? Wake up!" He tried to shake Alba awake, frantically, but Alba just muttered in his sleep.

"Alba, it wasn't your fault." Ross stroked his hair. "You're going to be okay," he murmured. "It's just a dream." He held Alba close to his chest, hoping his presence was enough to calm him.

Alba woke with a start, trembling and in cold sweat. His heart was pounding against his chest. He felt like he was going to be sick, but he was also disgusted with himself.

The only thing that snapped him out of these thoughts was Ross' warmth. Alba turned to Ross and buried his face into the other's chest, trying to find some comfort after the nightmare.

He didn't want this. Not in the slightest. But the only thing he could do was move forward and try to forget.


	14. Chapter 14

**_Sorry once again for the day late update, but here it is. We're almost to the end. It's so close you can just see it over the horizon. Anyways, after this chapter, next week will only have one chapter, and so forth. Anyways, enjoy the chapter._**

* * *

**Heroes Aren't the Mafia. Right...?**

**Chapter 14**

It was exactly a day before the overthrow, being about two weeks after Alba had killed the hitman and Teufel had died. Alba seemed to be getting better about the incident, and the two had gotten closer since the day it happened.

Ross had been up all night preparing, making sure that everything would go smoothly. It was pretty simple, he thought. Attack the headquarters, get rid of any opponents in their way or have them join his side, and kill Rchimedes. He felt a sense of dread having to do this, but he ignored his own feelings. This had to be done.

Alba wasn't sure what to expect when Ross' plan took action. He worried that it would go terribly wrong, but at the same time, he couldn't doubt Ross. The other had been working on this for a long time, likely longer than he could even imagine. All he could really do was hope for the best.

Although, this did give Alba a reason to ask something that had been bugging him for the longest time. Whether or not Ross would avoid the question, it was beyond him. It was worth a shot. "Hey, Ross… are…are you Rchimedes' son? I mean, Foyfoy called you the boss' son the night he tried to kill me, but I wasn't sure if he meant it literally or…" There was really no way to not make it sound like that was all it could mean. And he sounded really stupid for asking because of that.

Ross stared mildly at Alba for a moment before just replying with one word. "Yeah." He grinned before punching Alba in the back. "Seriously, what did you expect me to say?" Although Ross acted pretty cool about it, he was actually really worried, trying to replay scenarios in his head. It might come down to him killing his own father and having to live with that. That itself couldn't be as bad as Alba killing that hitman.

Alba stared at Ross for a second before sighing. "Well, to be honest, I thought you would have made a big deal out of like when you first met me," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "But in all seriousness… do you really think you can do this?"

Ross shrugged his shoulders, not wanting to think of it anymore. Everything else was in place, except for the fact that Ross might not have the guts to kill his own father; no matter how much he deserved it. "Yeah, I will," Ross mumbled.

"...Let's not sit around the whole day," Ross spoke. "Let's go to the park or something." He grabbed Alba's hand, dragging him outside.

"H-Hey! Are you sure about this?" Alba asked, unsure if he should stop Ross or not. They were going to start the plan tomorrow, and they were in Japan, where most of Rchimedes' men were located. But,when he thought about it, Ross had been working so hard with little rest. The other deserved some relaxation.

"Yeah," Ross grinned. "Hurry up now or else." The weather outside was clear and sunny, and it felt better to go outside after weeks of planning. The two headed out; Ross leading Alba around to see the city. Ross wasn't sure why he wanted to leave the motel that day; it was going to be dangerous with hitmen out there. But he did want to spend one nice day with Alba, before whatever happened the next day,

* * *

Exploring the city of Tokyo had been quite interesting. Ross made it an effort to stop at quite a few shops with sweets, but the sights were amazing for Alba, considering he had never been to Japan. But one thing certainly made his day though.

Ross was just being himself.

Sure, they had to worry about hitmen attacking him, but they were both ready for that situation. And of course, Ross teased Alba when he could, but overall, he acted as if this was a normal life for him.

Like there was no mafia, no overthrow to plan.

Just a normal day in life.

The two returned to the motel later at night, Ross munching contently on an apple and teasing Alba. It had been a long and tiring day sightseeing Tokyo but also satisfying. He had been glad to have one day to be with Alba, and he was really beginning to fall for him, even if he had been annoying sometimes. They had protected each other for so long that it felt weird to be separated.

Ross flopped down on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. He was able to stop thinking about tomorrow the whole day, but now all his troubling worries were coming back. _"I hope everything will work out…"_ he thought.

Alba laid down next to Ross, wrapping his arms around the other. He didn't say a word, already aware of the thoughts buzzing around in Ross' mind. It wasn't always the easiest to tell what the other was thinking, but this time, there was no question. It was on his mind too.

They both had plenty to worry about, and as soon as the sun rose the next day, there would be no turning back. But it was the last night. They needed to relax just a little. Alba looked at Ross and kissed him gently.

Ross blushed slightly as Alba kissed him, but he put his arms around Alba, relaxing in his warmth. "Alba, no matter what happens, I'm still going to protect you," Ross mumbled, pinching Alba's cheek. He wanted to let the other know how much he cared, and how devastated he would be if something bad happened.

"I will always love you," he whispered, kissing Alba back.

"And I will always love you too, Ross," Alba mumbled as he smiled at Ross. He rested his head against the other's chest and closed his eyes. It was obvious the next day was going to be hard, but as long as they stayed at each other's side, he was sure they could make it.


	15. Chapter 15

_**I wasn't planning on releasing this so late so I apologize for that. Well, we're almost to the end everyone, and we're glad to have had you all support us for this long. We hope you guys enjoy!**_

* * *

**Heroes Aren't the Mafia. Right...?**

**Chapter 15**

Once the sun began to rise that next morning, the plan was put into action. They waited for the forces to arrive at Rchimedes' front gate outside of Tokyo. Once all were there, they were to invade with Crea to lead both Ross and Alba to Rchimedes.

They had ten minutes, five of which had already passed. Alba stared at the property that belonged to Rchimedes, wondering they were in the right place. It was a small house with its only defense being an eight foot tall wall.

Ross tightened his grip on Alba's hand. "You need to be on alert at all times. There's going to be a lot of dangerous people in there." Their forces were now all surrounding the base, a large army of weapon wielding, grim crowd of Ross's supporters.

He understood Alba's confused expression about the house but didn't bother to explain, rather just commanding his followers to carry out their roles. "We're going to have everyone be fighting," he whispered to Alba. "Then we go when everyone is occupied and kill Rchimedes. Got it?"

"Got it." Despite what he said, Alba didn't want to kill someone again. He knew he wouldn't be able to handle it in the end. The nightmares still came back every now and then and always left him afraid and guilt-ridden. But if it came down to Ross' life or some stranger's, he knew what he would end up choosing to do.

And he wouldn't regret it if it saved Ross.

Ross signaled at his forces to move it. It would take quite a while for everyone to actually get in the building, but as long as not too many of Rchimedes' mafia was alerted, if wouldn't be too big of a problem.

Ross opened the door to the tiny house, and crawled into the trapdoor leading to the mafia headquarters. Ross and Alba finally got into the underground base below it, gunshots and sounds of fighting were already going on. He laughed as Alba gawked at the large underground room beneath the tiny house. Ross had his knife ready, and he had planned to find his father as fast as he could, and end this.

"Where's Crea? Didn't he tell us he would meet us here?" Alba asked as he looked around. Although they would likely be able to find Rchimedes at one point or another, Crea had promised to show them the way while everyone was fighting.

"I'm not sure," Ross said, rounding a corner of the hallway and sprinting onwards. He didn't want to worry about Crea yet. "He might just be late, and he'll catch up to us soon." The lower levels of the headquarters were certainly more quiet, as sounds of fighting echoed from above.

"We'll need to hurry before someone else might come." Ross had just turned his head to look at Alba comfortingly, when someone up ahead their path shot. The bullet skimming the side of Alba's arm. Ross tensed, quickly shoving Alba to the side to avoid any bullets if they came. "Be careful," Ross mumbled, shielding Alba from the hitman holding a gun in front of them.

Alba glanced past Ross to see the hitman, pulling out his knife. "I can distract him for awhile," he mumbled as he got up. The new wound on his arm was painful, but he could deal with the pain for awhile. They had to get to Rchimedes, and there was no doubt it would get harder to reach him the longer they took.

It was only one hitman; the fact that he had a gun wasn't much of a worry. Ross watched as Alba sprinted forward with a hint of pride. He had a tinge of hope that everything would actually go as planned, when a group of other hitmen suddenly appeared from behind them, spotting Ross and Alba. Bullets flew past Ross, but he turned and faced the five men there. It was going to be hard, but he was strong, and he would do anything to protect Alba.

He had quickly taken down four of the men, when the last man panicked, firing point blank at Ross, who hadn't been expecting it. He knew the moment the bullet hit his side that he had messed up badly. Ross stumbled but threw his knife at the hitman, stabbing him in the chest. The hitman fell, dead, but the damage was already done.

He had no idea if Alba was okay. His whole body blazed with pain, and he felt the bullet lodged deep in his side, blood trickling to the ground. It wasn't fatal, but it hurt like hell.

Alba has been surprised when more enemies had arrived, but he did what he could to fight back. He was covered in bruises and cuts, but he could care less about those injuries.

Once the final hitman was knocked out, Alba hurried over to Ross, quite panicked. "Ross, are you okay?" he asked frantically as he helped Ross up. Glancing around, he left the hall as soon as he could, hoping to get Ross to a safer area. "Should we go find Crea?"

Ross nodded, his breathing heavy. A bullet wound wasn't going to stop him from finding his friend. "Yeah, let's hurry." He had to lean on Alba for support, but after their recent fight, no hitmen came to stop them. The hallway was quiet except for the two's footsteps and the sound of blood dripping on the metal floors.

The lowest floor on the headquarters was nearly pitch black, lit only by a few lights. Ross glared into the darkness, trying to listen for any sounds of people or worse, his father.

Instead he heard a scream.

Alba shivered as the scream echoed off the walls and floors. Only one thing came to mind when the sound pierced his ears, but he didn't want to believe it. Instead, he continued onward, following the source of the horrible echo.

When they arrived, Alba felt his blood run cold. The scene was just as bad as the alleyway where Teufel died. There was a single light in the middle of room, dim and flickering, but just bright enough where every shape could be made out.

If only they had gotten to there sooner…


	16. Chapter 16

**Heroes Aren't the Mafia. Right...?**

**Chapter 16**

That scream was echoing through Ross's head, seemingly to grow louder. It couldn't be real, it couldn't be him. How could they have found Crea out? It absolutely couldn't be. Despite the ache in his side, he ran as fast as he could, trying to get to his best friend, the person he had trusted so much, Crea…

That room Ross stood in front of was blazed in his memory. It had been seemingly a normal room in the headquarters, but its metal floor was spattered with dark staining blood. Crea was lying limp in the center of it, red blood blossoming like roses over his body, where knives had been driven into. He was barely alive, his eyes cloudy and unfocused, tight with pain. Yet his mouth was still parted, trying to say something. "Shion…" Crea choked out, and Ross's heart felt like breaking. His best friend couldn't be dying; yet with every second passing, Ross knew there was nothing he could do.

Ross clasped his head, trying to stop the building pressure of pain. He clenched the knife in his hand, and trying to stop his shaking. He saw the figure of his father standing behind Crea and felt the familiar rage of anger against Rchimedes. He had definitely done this to Crea.

Rchimedes grinned at the appearance of his son while Alba could only stare at the scene. "I see you finally made it, Shion. It's too bad you didn't get here sooner." He lifted his foot and smashed it against Crea's chest, hearing the informant gasp in pain. "Maybe you would have had a chance at saving him if you did."

Before either of them could react, the room echoed with a _bang_. In Rchimedes' hand, a gun smoked as more blood stained the floor. Crea had fallen silent, and Rchimedes grin only grew. "So, Shion, do you regret leaving?"

Ross struggled to focus on the problem at hand, not his best friend that lay unmoving on the floor. The smell of blood in the room sickened him. He couldn't stop the tears, though, and wiped them roughly from his eyes. He clenched Alba's hand, trying to calm down.

"I don't regret anything," Ross muttered. "Only not leaving sooner." He pointed his knife angrily at his own father; Crea's death giving him resolve. "I'm not letting you hurt anymore people, Rchimedes," he spoke, lifting his head. Rchimedes just scoffed, calming reloading his gun.

Alba glanced over at Ross before charging at Rchimedes. Even if he couldn't bring himself to kill, there was always the option to act as a decoy and buy time. However, the idea that Ross would kill his own father seemed a little much, and he worried that the other couldn't do it.

But he couldn't doubt Ross now. It was live or die.

Alba took a jab at Rchimedes, only to be blocked immediately. "Oh, is this your partner that everyone talked about, Shion? He's much bolder than I thought. However…" Rchimedes deflected the knife and swiftly kicked him. "He'll just added to the body count." He skidded back a couple of feet before Rchimedes stepped on his injured arm and aimed the gun at his forehead. "You're all a bunch of fools."

"Alba!" Ross yelled, throwing his knife at Rchimedes's gun. The knife cut into his father's hand, making him fumble and miss what could have been a fatal shot to Alba. He kicked upwards into Rchimede's stomach, glaring fiercely at his father. He had tried to kill Alba, his only friend left that he fully trusted. "I won't let you touch Alba," Ross spat at his father, taking a second knife from his belt and giving it to Alba.

Ross's knife that he had thrown at his father lay across the room, and with Alba having his spare knife, he was now unarmed. Still, he stood boldly, facing his father, slightly illuminated by the light outside the room. He would have to be quick to take down Rchimedes. Although his father was armed with nothing but a gun, he was still as skilled as Ross was. Crea's body was next to him, and he felt a surge of sadness.

"You shouldn't worry so much about him, Shion. That would be a fatal mistake." Rchimedes' grin only grew, pulling out his own knife. Alba tried to charge at Rchimedes once again, only to be pushed away. "This fight is between me and Shion. It wouldn't be wise to get involved in a family matter."

Before Alba could run back to Ross' side, he was on the ground with a _thud_. Two hitmen had pinned him onto the ground. "Now then, Shion, are you ready to settle this once and for all?" Rchimedes asked as he fired several rounds at Ross.

Ross dodged most of the bullets easily, but he was starting to feel hopeless. With every movement he made, the bullet in his side just grew more painful. He couldn't mess up now or he and Alba would die.

He had to decide who to go for. The hitmen holding Alba down or his father and felt torn on what to do.

Alba struggled to push the two hitmen off, and just when he felt close to succeeding, his injured arm gave out, even more blood spilling out. But he couldn't give up just yet. He had to help Ross.

He thrashed and squirmed as much as he could, eventually getting one of them off of him. However the second some of the weight was lifted, pain spread throughout Alba's leg as the other hitman shouted, "Hopefully that dagger keeps you down!"

Rchimedes looked over at Alba, glancing at Ross. "So worried over him, aren't you, Shion?" His grin grew as he walked over to the other, aiming his gun at his head. "You should have killed me sooner if you were going to worry about your partner."

_Bang._

"But do you have any regrets _now_, Shion?"

Ross's blood ran cold; his eyes gazing for a horrified moment at his loved one's limp body, laying only feet away from Crea's. "Alba…" Ross mumbled, not quite believing he had died. Something like that could never happen. Ross was supposed to protect him. "Alba, we can do this, get up!" he screamed desperately. Yet deep inside Ross, he knew it had been done. Ross felt dead inside as he continued to stare at Alba, trying to magically make him alive again and smiling his precious smile.

Rchimedes had been chuckling until Ross dove at his father, tackling him down at lightning speed. Being attacked off guard gave Ross an advantage. Behind Ross, the two hitmen lay knocked out. Clenching his knife, he drove the knife into Rchimedes's palm, making him screech in pain. Rchimedes let go of his knife, yelling and struggling. His cries were music to Ross's ears.

"You are no father," Ross said, his eyes looking crazed and wild. "I want you to die painfully," he spat, raising Alba's knife over his head. Tears leaked out from his eyes.

Rchimedes only continued to weakly mock his son, asking him if this was what Ross wanted to accomplishment. To take him down along with all of his close ones and allies. Doubt also came into play, questioning if Ross would even have the guts to kill his own father.

But in a second, the room fell silent once again. The smell of death once again tainting the air, and blood spilling onto the floor. Rchimedes was dead with a blade right through his head. It was all over.

Had the sacrifices truly been worth it, though?

* * *

It had been about two weeks since that tragic day at the headquarters. Ross had taken over the mafia, with people against him, but with supporters as well. Now though, it didn't seem to matter what happened with the mafia, and Ross was almost desperate to pass off jobs to upper high ranking officers.

People would talk about Ross, discussing why he had changed after the day he killed his father… And why he preferred to live not in the headquarters but in a small peaceful apartment far away. Ross didn't feel as if he had changed. It just felt as if he was an empty shell, as if nothing mattered in the world.

Day after day, Ross would sit at Alba's dining table, replaying the scenes at the headquarters, wondering if he had messed up somehow. It wasn't something he could try to forget. Was there any way his precious Alba could have survived? Could he have killed Rchimedes faster? Why did he have be all alone?

He thought about the scenarios miserably.

He hid his head in his arms, sighing deeply. Ross knew couldn't go on like this. Sooner or later, he would have to go back to the mafia headquarters to make sure everything was running smoothly. But for now, he closed his eyes, breathing in the air, trying to remember Alba. He feared if he went on with life, Ross would start to forget Alba's face.

"Alba," he mumbled, feeling tired. He remembered how annoying and innocent Alba had be. He could have still been in this room if Ross had done a better job in making him stay here. Ross felt guilty. He was responsible for Alba's death; he was sure about that. He forced back his tears yet they came anyways. If Alba was here though, he wouldn't want Ross to be sad and depressed for the rest of his life.

_"I'm sorry, Alba,"_ Ross thought, picking himself up. _"I promise to get through this."_ He got up, looking through the window, a sad but determined smile on his face. "Because I love you. "

_**And here we are. The end of the final chapter. Thank you all for supporting this fanfic until the very end. We have another ending in mind, but that's only if you guys want to read it. So if you do, please be sure to either message me or leave a review. But thank you all again for reading this we hope you have a great day or night.**_

_**PS We might just have something else in the works right now.**_


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